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Federation
Equestre Internationale News
FEI
Eventing World Cup News
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Darren
Chiacchia (USA) wins the second qualifier of the FEI Eventing
World Cup on home ground
Darren
Chiacca of Ocala, FL (USA) riding the 12-year old black stallion
Windfall 2 brilliantly won the second qualifier of the FEI Eventing
World Cup, which was held at Red Hills, Tallahassee, FL (USA)
from 12 to 14 March, with a final score of 46.5 points. He took
the lead from the very beginning thanks to Windfall's noteworthy
Dressage test (41.7 points); he kept it through Cross Country
scoring 4.8 time penalties and, with one fence in hand, went flawless
in Jumping. Windfall, on whom Chiacca started competing in 2001
and who took him to individual gold in last year's Pan American
Eventing Championship at Fair Hill, was only one of Darren's five
entries all of whom finished the competition. He collected World
Cup points on Power Ty and Southbound, with whom he placed 9th
(14 WC points) and 15th (7 WC
points) respectively. Given this remarkable performance, Chiacca
takes the lead in the overall FEI Eventing World Cup standings
with 123 points.
The
second place went to Olympian Phillip Dutton on Nova Top. Dutton,
an Australian who lives in Westgrove, VA (USA) and who won last
year's FEI Eventing World Cup qualifier at Red Hills, was 9th
after Dressage with 52.8. He performed the competition's only
clear Cross Country and scored two time penalties in the Jumping
test. He finished with a total of 54.8 points. Dutton had entered
four horses and finished the competition with them all scoring
a total of 110 World Cup points and taking the second position
in the standings.
"I
think it's healthy competition," Chiacca said after Cross
Country. "We are great friends but when it comes out on the
day I don't mind giving Dutton a run for his money."
Twenty-four
year-old Heather Morris (USA) on Rebel Express placed third with
59.2 points.
After
two qualifiers the leaderbord is as follows:
1.
Daren Chiacchia (USA) - 123
2. Phillip Dutton (USA) - 110
3. Andrzej Pasek (POL) - 101
4. Marie-Christine Duroy de Laurière (FRA) - 60
5. Jan Thompson (USA) - 46
6. Karen O'Connor (USA) - 43
7. Fabio Magni (ITA) - 40
7. Heather Morris (USA) - 40
9. Alice Naber-Lozeman (NED) - 33
10. Marissa Cortesi (SUI) - 30
According
to the 2004 FEI Eventing World Cup Regulations, points are awarded
to all riders that have completed the competition regardless to
the number of starters, with 100 points going to the winner and
1 point to all the riders after the 20th place. A rider that rides
more than one horse in a qualifier will be awarded points for
each result. The full Regulations are available on the FEI's website
www.horsesport.org (http://www.horsesport.org/fei/pdfs/reference/03_02/CC_WC_Rules2004.pdf).
The
next qualifier will take place at Temecula (Galway Downs), CA
(USA). The 2004 calendar is available on http://www.horsesport.org/fei/pdfs/consult/01_01/CIC_03-04Calendar.pdf
***
The
FEI Eventing World Cup is the sport's first linked series consisting
of 17 qualifiers culminating in a yearly Final. It is organised
at the highest level (three-star) of the short Eventing format
which is the new standard for Championships and the Olympic Games.
The series is designed in manner to encourage the participation
of the world's best riders and horses and thus promote such emblematic
values of Eventing, as the constant quest for harmony between
physical skills and mental balance, contact with nature, precision,
stamina, agility and insightful training. The FEI Eventing World
Cup is a showcase of a sport resolutely turning to the future.
www.horsesport.org
.
